


Speaking my Language

by HMS_Chill



Category: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Henry's first Thanksgiving, M/M, Probably Bad Spanish, Thanksgiving, alex is so in love y'all, so very very in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:41:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21896833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HMS_Chill/pseuds/HMS_Chill
Summary: Prompt:"Alex always saying sweet things to Henry in Spanish but won't tell him what any of it means, and he's always google translating them and awe-ing at how cute Alex is and then like maybe he learns how to say something adorable to and says it to Alex and Alex just like melts or something"
Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor
Comments: 68
Kudos: 475





	Speaking my Language

"¿Lo amas, cierto?"

"Por supuesto. Lo amo más que a nada."

Henry, resting his head on his boyfriend's lap, blinks up at Alex and hums a question. He's too jet lagged to be paying attention to the Diaz conversation happening above him, even if it was in English, but Alex sounds so happy. Henry isn't used to that tender tone being used for anyone or anything other than him, but Alex just strokes his hair and says, "It's nothing, baby."

"Are you talking about me?"

"Nah; we're talking policy. Boring American things. Sleep, Corazón." 

That hadn't sounded like Alex's politics tone, but Henry is too tired to care too much in the moment. Instead, his brain sticks on the last word, and he asks, "What's that mean?"

"It means I love you."

"I love you." Henry turns his head to kiss Alex's wrist, and as he closes his eyes, he hears Alex say, "Papá, lo amo tanto. Más de lo que nunca pensé que podría amar a nadie en el mundo."

"Y yo los amo a los dos, mijo. Mis hijos." Oscar comes to sit on the couch next to Alex, pulling him into a hug, and Alex is so full of love he thinks he might burst. Henry feels Alex's hand stop moving through his hair and presses a kiss to his boyfriend's jeans, and Alex squeezes his shoulder gently before going back to playing with Henry's hair. Just before he falls asleep, Henry hears Alex start to sing in Spanish, Oscar joining him. The last thought that crosses Henry's jet-lagged mind is that he should learn Spanish.

-

He starts with Duolingo, just like anyone else who wants to learn a language, building his vocabulary in pieces on the way to the shelter or in other stolen moments. Some of the kids at the youth shelter speak Spanish, or are taking it in school, and he practices with them, fumbling his way through sentences and making sure they take him off any princely pedestals they might have him on. When he can, he'll get lessons from them or, occasionally, from June over the phone. He holds onto the things that made Alex happiest, and once he figures out which kids will tell him the truth, he asks one of them what "Corazón" means. She grins.

"That means 'heart'. It's a term of endearment sometimes, like 'sweetheart', but without the sweet part and more personal? So more like 'you're my heart'? It means the person who said it loves you a lot." Henry smiles, and she asks, "Where'd you hear it?"

"My boyfriend. He and his dad were speaking Spanish, and I asked what they said. He said it was nothing, but I'm not so sure. I think he's just shy. What about "amo"? I heard that a lot; what does it mean?"

"That's 'I love'," the girl says, smiling at him, and Henry blushes. He's heard that word quite a bit in Alex's Spanish conversations. 

"One more? What... what does "hijos" mean? His dad called us that, and it made him really happy, but I think I keep spelling it wrong when I try to translate it."

"That's... 'sons', translated literally. Or like... 'boys'? But not like 'those boys over there', more like 'kiddos' sort of? Did you hear any context?"

"I think it was just 'mis hijos'."

"'My sons' or 'my boys', then. What?"

"It's... thank you. You're the best," Henry says past the lump in his throat. 

"Henry? You okay?"

"I'm fine; thank you, really. How's your homework coming? Want me to proofread your essay?"

"Sure. Then you should tell me more of the things your boyfriend says about you."

Henry laughs, turning to her essay. Still, there's a warmth in his chest that he hadn't expected. 

Mis hijos. My boys. 

-

Bea finds out what he's doing, probably from June, and she's the one who gets him connected with a tutor. It's a birthday gift, and she makes sure to find someone who can be flexible and chat when Alex isn't around. Somehow, the lessons feel like something Alex doesn't need to know about. If he knew, he might stop murmuring Spanish phrases before they go to bed. He might stop talking to his family or the kids at the shelter in Spanish, or at least, it would feel less secretive. Plus, personally, Henry wants to wait until he's conversational to reveal his newfound ability.

The bonus of Alex's not knowing Henry can speak a bit of Spanish is that Henry gets to hear his say things he's too embarrassed or shy to say in English. "Te amo", I love you, is a common one, murmured before bed or in response to a morning coffee. "Dios mio", my god, isn't rare, and neither is "puto/a/x" (fucker/bitch). But then there are things like "me encantas", which his tutor translates as "you enchant me", or "eres mi mundo, mi cielo, y todas mis estrellas". That one comes late enough that Henry can translate some of it on his own, and he makes sure to google "cielo" and "mundo" on the way into work the next morning. He melts in the back of the car. Apparently, he's Alex's world, his sky, and all his stars.

-

He's thought about when to reveal his new talent. He'd considered proposing in Spanish, but being married to a prince could be detrimental to Alex's career, and they've already promised each other forever. They've talked about it, but no matter how desperate the world is for another royal wedding, neither of them feel the need to jump through every international legal hoop. They love each other, and besides, Henry's already given Alex a ring. It hangs around his neck every day, a constant reminder of their promise. Alex had noticed him rubbing the skin where it used to sit and picked up a simple gold band, just big enough to fiddle with, so perhaps they've already gotten accidentally engaged.

Instead, he considers Alex's birthday, waking him up with kisses and Spanish terms of endearment. It would make a nice gift, and it'll give him time to clean up his conjugation a bit. 

As it turns out, he slips up well before March. 

Henry never celebrated Thanksgiving before he started dating Alex, and last year, he had to be in London so he could be in DC for Christmas. He knows about the holiday and its turkey-based chaos, of course, but they don't celebrate it in England. So when he and Alex get dressed up and board the train to DC with a big plate of biscuits and David in a carrier, he's not entirely sure what to expect. They're supposed to be meeting Oscar at the train station, then going to the White House for some sort of family dinner tonight and a public appearance or two tomorrow, but beyond that, he's unsure.

"Henry? It's going to be fine. My family loves you; there's no reason to be nervous."

"I know. I know it'll be fine; it just feels a bit weird. I've never celebrated Thanksgiving."

"Right, well, I got you something for that."

Alex pulls out a gift bag, and Henry takes it with a slight frown. "What's this?"

"Open it." Alex's grin is shit-eating, and he beams when Henry sees what's inside. It's a tiny t-shirt that says "My First Thanksgiving!".

"Thanks."

"There's a bib too; it came as a set. And as a bonus, I commissioned one in your size, and you've got to wear it tomorrow."

He's pulled out a crew neck sweatshirt with the same design as the baby shirt, complete with a cartoon turkey holding a knife and fork. It says "Stuffing" on the back, and when he flips the smaller one over, it says "Cornbread". 

"It's after the turkeys who made me call you that first time. But for real, I thought maybe David could wear the baby one, since it's his first Thanksgiving, too. And you don't have to wear it if you don't want; Nora and I were on Etsy together and--"

Henry cuts him off with a kiss, then says, "I'll wear it. Es perfecto." It's perfect. 

“¿Te gusta? ¿De verdad?" You like it? Of _verdad_?

"Um, sí?" It comes out more of a question than he was anticipating, and Henry gets the distinct joy of watching Alex's brain catch up to the rest of him. 

"Wait, you know Spanish? You don't speak Spanish. Do you?"

"Un poco." A bit. 

"You son of a bitch. How long have you known Spanish?"

"Um, a few months? Maybe? I wanted to learn after that night you called me 'Corazón'. Your... you sounded so happy, and I wanted to know what was happening." And your dad called us his boys. I wanted to know what he said that made you so happy, and it was that he called us his boys.

"You little shit. I love you so much."

"Te amo," Henry says, watching Alex's smile shift into something quieter, more personal. More full of love.

"Te amo para siempre."

"I... you love me forever?"

"And ever and ever and ever," Alex says. After a moment, he adds, "Does this mean we can talk shit in public now?"

"I'm not very good yet, but maybe? Right now, I can tell you I love you more publically."

"That's more important. Holy shit, now I can tell you how much I love you in front of your family. Henry. Te amo. Te adoro. That's 'I adore you'. Um, let's see, what else." And for the rest of the train ride, Alex teaches Henry the basic Spanish he needs to know, which consists of a lovely mix of insults and terms of endearment.

When they get off at the station, Oscar is waiting for them with a massive grin, big hugs, and a cheer of, "Mis hijos!"

Henry feels Alex tense up for a second before he's swept into Oscar's hug, and he makes a mental note to ask about that. But then he's getting a hug, too, and Alex is opening David's carrier and getting his leash on, and they've got an excited beagle to deal with, and they're all piling into a van to the White House. Things are equally hectic there, down to the two new turkeys (Potatoes and Green Bean) who've taken up residence in Alex's room.

It isn’t until they’re in bed that night, trying to ignore Green Bean’s stare, that Henry gets a chance to ask, “Everything alright?”

“Everything’s perfect. Tomorrow I get to watch you wear a stupid sweater and eat loads with my family. Why?” 

“You... you tensed up when we met up with your dad.” 

“Oh, uh, yeah. I... it’s just... he called us hijos, and you... do you know that one yet?” 

“Yeah, I... one of the kids explained it to me.” 

“I just... I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about it. I know he’s used it before, but I also know you miss your dad a lot, and I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable. You don't have to be okay with it; I can ask him to stop if you want and he'll get it. He doesn’t mean to replace your dad or anything; I know he doesn’t. But he loves you a lot. They all do. We all do. Them not as much as me, obviously, but seriously. You’re... we all think of you as family.” 

“I... I know. And it makes me happy. When your dad calls us hijos, I mean. It... it’s nice.” 

Alex grins at that, cuddling in closer. Then Green Bean gobbles, and Alex lets out a quiet, "Dios mio." Henry laughs. 

"You sure you don't want to sleep in my room?"

"I think that might be wise. I thought I could beat them this year, I really did."

"Hold on a second; get the lights on?" Henry asks. Alex does, and Henry opens his instagram stories. 

"So, I'm in the White House, it's around midnight, maybe? We've got to be up for an appearance around nine tomorrow morning, and I'm going to show you all my very favorite Thanksgiving tradition. It's when this one," he flips the camera to Alex, who's eyeing Green Bean suspiciously, "insists on keeping two live turkeys in his room instead of letting them spend a night in a hotel. Then, he gets scared--"

"I am not scared! I'm wary. Intelligently so; I've seen _Jurassic Park_."

"He gets _wary_ , and he calls me to protect him. That's right, Alex. Let the motherland look after you. I'll keep you safe from these vicious American monsters." He stops the recording on a shot of himself hugging Alex protectively, and Alex agrees to let him post it on two conditions: "You wear the 'my first Thanksgiving' sweatshirt on live TV, and I get a recording of you speaking Spanish."

"I'll butcher the Spanish."

"It doesn't matter. If you post that, I get a recording of you speaking Spanish."

Henry agrees as they make it to his room, falling into bed together, happy to be out from under Green Bean's watchful eyes. Alex falls asleep first, and Henry reaches for his phone. He's not sure how often Alex uses voice memos, but there's a recent recording, so Henry starts another titled "Corazón" and says, softly enough not to wake him, "Alexander Gabriel Claremont-Diaz, eres mi mundo, mi cielo, y todas mis estrellas. Me encantas, y te amo. Te amo muchísimo. Eres el novio de mis fantasías, y soy la persona más feliz del mundo contigo. Te amo, corazón."

Alexander Gabriel Claremont-Diaz, you are my world, my sky, and all my stars. You enchant me, and I love you. I love you so much. You are the boyfriend of my dreams, and I am happier than anyone in the world with you. I love you, my heart.

**Author's Note:**

> Please excuse my Spanish; I was mediocre four years ago and haven't practiced since. But here are some (intended) translations for the first conversation, which I believe is the only untranslated bit:  
> "You love him, yeah?"  
> "Of course. I love him more than anything."  
> ...  
> "Dad, I love him so much. More than I ever thought I could love anything in the world."  
> "And I love you both, son. My boys"  
> Massive shoutout to @felinarealista on tumblr for fixing my Spanish, too! It should be right now!  
> -  
> As always, I'm [HMS-Chill](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/hms-chill) on tumblr for fic stuff; if you wanna chat either there or here please do! I'm always taking prompts over there. And if you have research questions about a project you're working on that's great, too; I'm going into a career helping people make historically/scientifically accurate art and it's my favorite thing.


End file.
